Wat is een Email Seed Lijst?
Bird
24 mei 2019
1 min read
Belangrijkste punten
Purpose: This article explains what an email seed list is, how it’s used in deliverability testing, and why results should be interpreted cautiously.
Core idea: Seed lists help marketers test inbox placement across providers like Gmail or Yahoo — but they can’t fully predict real-world deliverability since engagement now drives inboxing.
Essentials covered:
Definition: A seed list is a set of test email addresses used to monitor where messages land (inbox, promotions, or spam).
Use case: Senders include these addresses in campaigns to preview how their emails render across clients and devices.
Modern challenge: Major ISPs now factor engagement signals (opens, clicks, replies) into placement algorithms — making seed list data incomplete.
Reputation impact: Because seed accounts don’t engage, emailing them during IP warm-up can harm sender reputation and trigger spam filtering.
Best practice: During early sending phases, email your most engaged users instead of seed addresses to establish a positive reputation.
Alternative metrics: Use real open rates, clicks, and engagement trends to assess inbox performance more accurately.
Big picture: Seed lists remain useful for preview and rendering checks but should supplement—not replace—real-world engagement data in your deliverability strategy.
Q&A Hoogtepunten
What exactly is an email seed list?
A controlled list of test email addresses across different providers (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook) used to measure where your emails land when delivered.
Why can’t seed list results always be trusted?
Because seed addresses are inactive and don’t engage with messages, ISPs see them as low-value accounts, which skews placement results.
Should seed lists be used during IP warm-up?
No. ISPs like Gmail expect low, high-quality engagement during warm-up. Sending to non-engaged seed addresses can hurt your sender score.
What’s a better way to measure inbox placement?
Analyze engagement metrics—like open and click rates—across real recipients. These reflect how your emails perform in live inboxes.
Are seed lists still useful today?
Yes, for checking rendering, formatting, and consistency across clients. But for deliverability insights, they should be paired with engagement-based analytics.
Een e-mail seed list is een lijst van test e-mailadressen die is gemaakt om te controleren waar berichten terechtkomen wanneer ze worden verzonden. Deze lijsten bevatten meestal testadressen bij grote providers zoals Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Orange.fr en vele andere ISP-domeinen.
What is an Email Seed List?
Een e-mailzaadlijst is een lijst van test-e-mailadressen die is gemaakt om te monitoren waar berichten terechtkomen wanneer ze worden verzonden. Deze lijsten bevatten meestal testadressen bij grote providers zoals Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Orange.fr en veel andere ISP-domeinen.
Verzenders kunnen zaadlijsten toevoegen aan hun aankomende campagnes om de inboxplaatsing bij verschillende providers te meten. Een zaadlijst stelt je in staat om te testen waar een e-mail terechtkomt in verschillende e-mailclients en apparaten en om te zien hoe je campagnes worden weergegeven in verschillende browsers en e-mailclients.
